Martel
Martel was a high-ranking member of the Clergy of Nergal who was sent by Tcha Khan to influence Grandmaster Vepar of the Magestar. He managed to convince Vepar to side with the clergy in exchange for a boost to his magic as well as the total annihilation of the Magestar's enemies, which led to the destruction of Graves Hall. Ultimately Martel grew frustrated with Vepar whose sanity was beginning to slip, so he left the master on his own, instead choosing Master Raum as the next potential candidate for the clergy to use. He appeared in public again in Yamato years after the Cataclysm, ostensibly supporting the Sonno-joi movement, and participated in the Battle of Hephaisteion. Biography Early Years Martel was raised in Aison. At some point in time he joined the Clergy of Nergal and eventually came to serve Tcha Khan, the highest ranking member of the clergy in Aison whose small force resided in the safety of the Roost. Martel was a quick learner, both intelligent and physically capable, and in him Tcha Khan saw a useful agent for Nergal's cause. Martel was eventually sent to the Magestar to sway some of its masters to the clergy's side as part of Tcha Khan's grand strategy to weaken Aison from within for an eventual invasion which would plunge the world into a grand war that would strengthen Nergal. He managed to convince Master Vepar to side with the clergy via promises of power, and Vepar was eager to follow along to grow into an even more powerful mage than he already was. As Vepar ascended to the rank of Grandmaster, Martel saw in him a very useful pawn. Distreyd Era Martel gave Vepar an orb which contained a fire elemental and also installed an artifact inside the Magestar which would increase Vepar's magic tremendously. He told Vepar to convince the other masters to use the elemental against the Magestar's rival school Graves Hall so that one of Aison's most important military academies would be weakened. Vepar did as he was told, and the fire elemental was unleashed on the school which it successfully destroyed. With Graves Hall gone and the Magestar under the clergy's thumb through Vepar, the sole remaining force that would threaten the clergy was the King's Legion itself. However, when Vepar asked Martel what the clergy's plans for the Legion were, Martel angrily told the Grandmaster that it was none of his business much to Vepar's dismay. Martel's scheme took an interesting turn when he found out that Josiah Amdusias, one of the masters he knew couldn't be corrupted by promises of power, had returned to the Magestar from his trip and had also brought a few adventurers with him. While hurrying to talk to Vepar one last time before returning south to deliver Tcha Khan the good news, Martel expressed interest in killing Josiah but was persuaded not to do so by a fellow cleric of Nergal who said it was important that they wouldn't be spotted. As it happened, the clerics were indeed spotted by BoB the Jaguar and Lisse who hurried to warn Josiah about the involvement of the Clergy of Nergal in the confusing conspiracy at the Magestar while Martel and his escorts remained unaware of the duo having spotted them. Vepar was growing increasingly paranoid and hostile as he was slowly losing what little was left of his sanity due to leeching power from the clergy's artifact. Martel considered the mad Grandmaster a liability for Tcha Khan's plans and set events in motion which would lead to Vepar's lieutenant, the much more level-headed Master Raum, taking Vepar's place in the future. Entrusting the plan to Raum's care, Martel fled from the Magestar before Josiah or the adventurers could catch him and returned to the Roost to talk with Tcha Khan. However, Martel's plan came to nothing when Josiah and the few loyal masters eventually managed to overthrow Vepar and drove him and other treacherous masters out of the Magestar. Despite this setback, the Magestar and Graves Hall had nevertheless suffered a heavy blow, leaving only the King's Legion to protect Aison from the upcoming Yamatian Invasion. Godslayer Era It is believed that Martel perished when the Yamato Empire invaded Aison and the Clergy of Mardük backstabbed the clerics of Nergal. However, his body was never found, so the truth of the matter remains shrouded to this day. Aliases and Nicknames ; Sir Martel : What he's called due to being a high-ranked knight. Appearance A tall, muscular man with short black hair and inquisitive eyes. His armor shone and glittered. The suit would have cost the average person a lifetime of work to earn enough money to buy it. Rare birds' feathers adorned the helm, and it's gilded with gold and studded with rubies. Emblazoned on the chest was a grand symbol, carved from a single stone of obsidian and inlaid with gold wire. The emblem of Nergal. Personality and Traits Vain, arrogant, condescending. He used both persuasion and intimidation to get desired results, often voicing his displeasure at Vepar's behaviour. Despite this, he respected strength and, when faced with what he deemed a worthy opponent, he was more than happy to fight a fair fight to prove his mettle, even showing respect to opponents that impressed him enough. Powers and Abilities A skilled swordsman. Claimed to be able to shield his mind from magic and mind control, which was enough to stop Vepar from probing him. Relationships Vepar Martel struck a deal with Vepar which seemed mutually beneficial although Martel quickly asserted himself as the dominant one of the pair by keeping Vepar in line with threats when necessary. Vepar obeyed Martel, intimidated yet intrigued by the man and by promises of power. Martel eventually came to see the maddened Vepar as a liability to the clergy's plan and began consulting with Raum to eventually replace Vepar with him. These plans ultimately came to nothing when the Magestar managed to drive out the treacherous masters and thus foiled Martel's scheme. See also *Clergy of Nergal *Vepar Category:Aison Category:Characters Category:Clergy of Nergal Category:Humans Category:Third Age